Peregrine (Ship)
Description Another of the human bird-ships, the Peregrine was designed to be an effective light warship, and is a second generation, completely redesigned version of the Bird of Prey. Well-armed, maneuverable, and durable, the Peregrine is also small enough to evade larger vessels if needed, since it will not force such ships out of spelljamming speeds. This combination of assets makes the Peregrine ideal for swift raids, since it can bypass patrols, but it still packs enough of a punch to be a threat on the attack, especially if operated in groups of 2 or more ships. Built to resemble a bird of prey attacking in flight, the Peregrine's sharp beak can serve as a piercing ram, while its claws, which are extended forward, can serve as a grappling ram depending on the need at hand. It is even possible for both rams to be used simultaneously if the angle of attack is right. The Peregrine is equipped with a pair of light dual ballistas mounted where the ship's "head" meets the "shoulders," and a medium catapult on a turret mount immediately aft of this. This arrangement allows all weapons to be fired forward during an attack, while the catapult can be swiveled around to discourage pursuit if needed. The interior space of the Peregrine is spartan at best, with crew cabins packed in to allow a maximum number of men to berth in a minimum space. The armoured and reinforced nature of the hull, combined with the large amount of space given over to the ram equipment and weapons, means that the cargo bay is similarly small. Peregrines were simply not designed for long voyages, and on any trip lasting longer than a couple of months cabin fever tends to become a problem. Crew While it can be handled with a crew of three, the standard fighting crew of a Peregrine is 12-16 men. This provides enough crew to operate all of the weapons at full efficiency, as well as a small group of marines. The crew of a Peregrine is typically arranged along military lines, and will usually consist of a captain, a first officer (who also serves as the leader of any boarding parties), and a pair of battle mages who alternate as helmsmen. The remainder of the crew will be made up of warriors. Ship Uses Raider: The Peregrine was designed to be a light raider, and it performs best in this role. Able to slip past patrols to get to its target, the Peregrine excels at swooping in for surprise attacks on enemy shipping as it leaves or arrives at port. Also highly useful for getting a small strike team to a ground or asteroid-based target, the Raptor is highly popular amongst military commanders. The only thing which has kept the Peregrine from being more widely used amongst navies throughout the spheres is the fact that it carries a fairly high price tag, and it is poorly suited to long-range usage. Whenever possible, commanders like to deploy Peregrines in groups of 3-5 for maximum effectiveness, sometimes operating from larger base vessels, such as the Eagle Carrier. Reaver: Since Peregrines are usually operated as military craft, they are generally difficult ships for pirates to acquire, and it is rare to see them being used as pirate reavers. Despite this, a few Peregrines have found their way into the hands of pirates in one way or another. These Peregrine reavers are generally highly effective, as long as they pick their targets wisely. Since Peregrines cannot carry much in the way of cargo, they usually rely on taking prizes intact so that they can use the captured ship to transport their captured cargo. Adventurer's Ship: The size and combat-worthiness of the Peregrine makes it highly prized by adventuring parties able to get their hands on the ship (usually this is only possible for parties sponsored by a government that uses Peregrines as naval vessels). Often highly customized (frequently as much for appearance as for performance), adventurer Peregrines are usually well known locally. Other Configurations Blood Hawk: A variant used by the navy of Tyrranous, the Blood Hawk is topped out for MC A. Blood Hawks also add a greek fire projector mounted on the ship's "head." The resulting ship requires 5 crew to operate, and has its cargo reduced to a mere 1 ton. As operated by Tyrranous, these ships always carry a full 16 crew, and are used as short-range strike craft operating from Eagle Carriers, being deployed in flights of 3 - 5 vessels.